-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- In the end , it was always Robin .

That was the big bombshell from Monday night 's final episode of `` How I Met Your Mother , '' which piled on one surprise after another .

When Ted finally finished the story for his kids , they called him on it : His story was n't all about how he met their mother -LRB- she was barely in the story -RRB- , it was about how much he loved Robin .

As many had theorized , the mother of Ted 's children -LRB- whose name was Tracy McConnell , by the way -RRB- , had been dead for years by the time he told his story .

So , in the last of many flash-forwards in this finale , Ted went to the street in front of Robin 's apartment and showed up with that blue French horn , the same one he stole for her in the first episode .

Robin , of course , had long ago divorced Barney -- the first big shocker of the night .

Barney , however , we would learn , became a father , and in one of several touching scenes from the episode , finally found the love of his life in baby Ellie .

Marshall and Lily , pregnant with their second child in the present day , went on to have a third , but Lily was heartbroken when Robin decided she could n't be as much a part of their gang anymore , due in part to Barney continuing to be , well , Barney around her .

And what about the mother , aka Tracy ? We finally did see that moment of the two meeting at that train station , and it was played perfectly by Josh Radnor and the Emmy-worthy Cristin Milioti .

They would n't get married for several years , having postponed their wedding when Tracy got pregnant with their first child .

Ted shared with his kids that he learned he had to love their mother with everything he had in him , through good times and bad , especially during her illness .

Needless to say , the show stayed true to form , as it had in all its nine years , wearing its heart on its sleeve . And if your eyes stayed dry through the entire episode , you 're probably a stronger person than most viewers .

Of course , the big Robin twist did n't exactly sit well with everyone online -LRB- people such as Rocco Horvath @RoccoRacingAMA , who tweeted , `` It took me so long to get over the fact Ted and Robin were n't going to end up together and now this ?! Mixed Emotions '' -RRB- , and the finale seems to have split viewers more than any since `` Lost . ''

Other viewers were more forgiving . '' #HIMYM creators stayed true to the story , '' tweeted fan John Eisele . `` Finale fit the show , even if it is not what I wanted . Ca n't stop thinking about it . #HIMYMFinale . ''

What do you think ? Do you wish Tracy had stayed alive and Ted did n't ultimately end up with Robin ? Or do you think it was a fitting ending ? For that matter , what do you think about Barney and Robin splitting up ? Let us know in the comments and give yourself a self-five for making it all the way through nine seasons .

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`` How I Met Your Mother '' ends after nine seasons

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Viewers finally learn about Ted 's truly love

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Some fans appeared angered by the ending